Sunday, 23 November 2014

Hunting season is in full swing around us, so nature adapts. The first big buck with a full rack appeared on my neighbours land so, by my own rules for this blog, I couldn't include it. However a few days later they started hanging out on our land, safe in the knowledge that they would not be harassed or shot at.

They spend their days sleeping in the shade of a mesquite tree and then in the evening they browse on the prickly pear fruit and the barrel cactus fruit. Stay as long as you like guys, it is great to have you around.

Wednesday, 19 November 2014

You can't follow this blog without realising I love cactii. I suppose in all honesty it is a bit of a love hate thing because it really doesn't matter how careful you are when doing yard work, sooner or later you will get spiked, stabbed or pierced. But hey, that is what tweezers were invented for right? One of the things I love most about these armoured beauties is their ability to grow in the most impossible of places. Like this one, a pile of rocks with a teaspoon of soil (and when I say soil, that is a pretty generous term, I am sure gardeners in most other places would consider our soil to be one step removed from building rubble!) and yet here is this Barrel Cactus flourishing.

Sunday, 16 November 2014

I have known there are Rock Wrens around the yard for a while now but my goodness are they elusive! Well I finally caught one foraging around amongst some rocks (surprise, surprise!) and after having taken several shots of a blurred blob hopping out of frame I finally got a couple of decent shots. Very satisfying.

Wednesday, 12 November 2014

My husband had strolled up and down this particular path in our yard a couple of times before I got to it on this particular day. People sometimes ask, how did you see that? and when it comes to sleeping snakes it is usually not so much a case of seeing the snake exactly, more like seeing something is different. So when I came to walk up the path, I noticed an unusually brown rock on the border. Oh hello! Did you see this? What? I won't tell you what my husband said when I pointed it out but I bet you can guess!

This little beauty stayed put all day, even when a couple of quail almost tripped over it and didn't slide off until after dark when a second rattler cruised past. I am thinking these will probably be the last two snakes I will see for the season.

Wednesday, 5 November 2014

I watched this beautiful young Bobcat outside my bedroom window, carefully stalking birds under the feeders. Unfortunately it didn't get a meal, from it's lean physique its looks as though it needed one. Better luck next time little one.

Sunday, 2 November 2014

The debate continues as to whether this is a Coopers or a Sharp-shinned Hawk that frequents the trees outside my kitchen window but either way it is a beautiful creature. I was lucky enough to catch it cooling down the other morning - perfect photo op.

We have a small piece of land nestled up against the mountains and this blog is a pictorial record of what occurs there. My only rule, if it doesn't take place on our land - it doesn't get on the blog.